


The Phantom Helps His Pigeon or A Needed Conversation

by Tinywriter365



Category: Emergency! (TV 1972)
Genre: Drew Burke, Frequency, Gen, Post-call reaction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinywriter365/pseuds/Tinywriter365
Summary: Chet talks to Johnny after the guys return from the death of Drew Burke in Frequency. This is one of those episodes that has always given me a lot of good ideas for stories.
Kudos: 2





	The Phantom Helps His Pigeon or A Needed Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I do not own anything that belongs to Emergency! I will put the boys back together in good working order when I am done.

Johnny was trying to swallow and reign in his still boiling emotions as the familiar echo of the squad’s backup alarms rang off the walls of Station 51. Next to him, Roy was shaken by the call. However, the senior medic was more worried about his partner and best friend. He knew that the call had gutted Johnny even more so when he was the one that delivered the news to Drew’s wife Pam and their little girl Emily.

Before he shut the engine off, Roy looked over at Johnny. “Junior, you know my ears are open anytime you want to talk.”

Johnny swallowed for the umpteenth time in the past few hours. His voice sounded almost strangled as he tried to talk around the golf ball in his throat. “I know Pally, and I appreciate it. Believe me; I need to talk. Hell, I may even come home with you tomorrow, but right now, I just need…” Johnny swallowed hard, “Time to process things.”

As a former Army medic, Roy completely understood the need for time before talking through a rough call or case. The sandy-haired, blue-eyed man laid his leathery hand on the smooth skin of his best friend’s neck. “I completely understand, my friend. I am going to talk to Cap and see if we can go down for a bit so you can clear your head as much as possible for now.”

“Th…thanks.” Johnny choked out. “I…I’ll be out back. If Pam calls, please come get me.”

“Of course.” 

Roy gave Johnny’s neck one more squeeze before the duo slowly exited their small Dodge truck. Often that truck allowed them to claw life back from the ice-cold grip of death. However, this was not the case when it came to Drew Burke. That was something that both men needed to deal with. They both took the losses hard, but this one was personal and made the pain go deeper.

KMG 365

Wordlessly, Johnny all but ran across the span of the garage and out the back door. He was grateful that the big back door was closed. The youngest member of A shift wasn’t sure if he would see his meager breakfast again or just have a good scream and cry.

Either way, he didn’t want the rest of the crew to hear him. They often worried about the young man with a troubled background. He didn’t want to add more stress to them today.

As the warmth of the sun hit him, Johnny felt his knees going weak. His emotions were threatening to break with or without his permission. Somehow, by the grace of the Spirits, he made it to his beloved Rover. The door handle fumbled in his shaking hands, but he finally got it opened. Somehow, he climbed inside, although it was too warm to close the door. He felt like he needed to sit or he was going to fall. Johnny’s dark hair hit the seat back as he put his head back. The call, the loss, the pain in Pam and Emily’s faces played through his mind like a sick non-stop movie loop. As each scene played, his eyes burned with much needed but unshed tears.

Yes, he was an emotional man. Right now, though, he was a scared man. He was afraid that if he let go of the needed tears, they wouldn’t stop ever. The last thing he wanted to do was give Captain Hank Stanley a reason to send him home. Even though he needed his time now, the crew was the only thing that was going to get him through the hell that he would soon walk-through side-by-side with a dear friend’s wife.

KMG 365

As Johnny sat in his Rover and struggled with his emotions, a shaken Roy walked into the station’s dayroom. The sound of his footsteps made the four-man engine crew lookup. One look at the senior medic’s face, and the men knew the call had not ended in a win.

Captain Hank Stanley got up from his spot on the couch and walked over to Roy. His voice was fatherly. “Roy, are you okay?’

“No…no, Cap.” The shaken medic said. His voice was thick as he continued. “Can you try to get us down for at least fifteen minutes? We need time.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you.”

Hank realized Johnny was not with Roy. “Where’s Johnny?”

“Out back, probably in his Rover. He is taking this one like a gut punch from a prizefighter.”

Roy’s description caught the attention of the now worried engine crew. Marco asked, “Why?”

“He…he knew the victim. Drew was a good friend of his. We…we did everything we could for him, but Brackett…lost him. Johnny was the one who told Drew’s wife and young daughter.”

“Aye dios mio,” Marco gasped.

Hank gripped Roy’s neck as if to say; it’s okay to let it hit you too. When he spoke, a note of concern filled his voice. “Should I call in a replacement for him?”

Roy answered quickly, “No, Cap. If you send him now, he’s just going to shatter. I mean, he’s going to do that at some point, but if you take us away from him, it…it won’t be good.”

Hank shook his head in understanding. He knew how close his paramedics were, and if Roy was begging to keep Johnny on duty, he wouldn’t fight him. “Alright, but if something changes, let me know.”

“I will. The only thing he asked right now is for time. He also asked that if Pam calls, we let him know.”

“Okay.” Hank rubbed Roy’s neck again. “Why don’t you go sit down until you are ready to call Joanne? Marco brewed some coffee while you were gone. I will call dispatch.”

“Thanks, Cap.”

“You’re welcome.”

Roy slowly shuffled across the dayroom to the kitchen table. He was greeted with a cup of warm coffee and a neck squeeze from Marco. Each man understood the pain of loss. While it was not a part of their job they liked to think about, they knew it was possible on each call.

Roy looked up and spoke quietly. “Thank you, Marco.”

“You’re welcome, Roy,” the Latino man said warmly.

KMG 365

As Roy settled in at the table, firefighter Chet “the Phantom” Kelly stood and headed for the fridge. He opened it and retrieved a bottle of soda and a bottle of water. Then he closed the icebox and headed for the sink. Out of the drawer right next to the sink, he grabbed a softish dishcloth. He closed the door, wet the cloth with a light layer of cold water, shut off the sink, and turned around.  
As he passed the table, Roy reached out to stop him. “Not now, Chet, he doesn’t need a visit from the Phantom.”

The Irishman spoke with honesty, “The Phantom is off-duty for the next few days. I just want to talk to him for a few minutes while you guys are down.”

Roy was surprised but noted the honesty in his friend’s voice. “Okay, but don’t be surprised if he tries to chase you away. He is really hurting right now.”

“I will go easy, I promise.” 

Chet broke away from Roy and left the room. Hank did not notice him as he had retreated to his office to call dispatch. The shorter man turned and headed out back. He needed to talk to his friend and NOW.

KMG 365

Chet blinked when the sun hit him, but he quickly found his target. As Roy guessed, Johnny was in his Rover. The warm day explained why the driver’s door was wide open. Chet made quick work of crossing the parking lot.  
The sound of approaching footsteps made Johnny sit up. He swallowed hard as the acids from his stomach finally settled. Somehow he had managed to keep everything in its place, at least for now. Rather than seeing Roy, he expected, Johnny was surprised to see Chet standing next to the open driver’s door.

“Chet, I’m really not in the mood right now.” Johnny tried to mask his emotions.

Chet saw right through the mask and spoke in an understanding and warm tone. “John, Roy told us everything. Believe me when I say the Phantom is off-duty until after the funeral. I actually came out here to talk to you.”

“You did?” A note of confusion filled the paramedic’s voice. 

“Yes. Listen before I get into the details, I wasn’t sure which one would help more now. Do you want the soda or the water?”

Johnny thought for a second. “The soda for now. Although it’s probably gonna get to me, hopefully, it will help settle things for a bit anyway.”

Chet nodded understandingly. He quickly opened the soda as the water found the running board of the truck. He handed the soda to Johnny, who turned to face him.

Johnny tried to smile, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks, Chet, I mean it.”

“You’re welcome, Johnny, and trust me, if the soda works the way I think it’s going to, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks.”

Chet reached over and wordlessly laid the wet washcloth on Johnny’s neck as the taller man bent his head after taking a long drink of the soda.

“H…how did you know I needed that?”

Chet swallowed hard. He knew it was now or never for this conversation. “Because I’ve been in your shoes…” Chet continued before Johnny could cut him off. “I was wearing Army green instead of department blue at the time, but I know your pain all too well.”

“Oh?” Johnny sat up as he barely muted a needed burp with his fist.

“Better?” Chet asked.

“Getting there, sorry.” Johnny swallowed, “Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“Don’t be, and yes, I will tell you. I just have one request, though.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t interrupt as I tell you. I will answer any questions later, but once I start, I want to get through it.”

“Fair enough,” Johnny’s voice was sincere.

Chet took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Even though it had been about ten years since the situation, the pain was still surface deep when he thought about it. “You know I was in the Army? I served two tours in country as a heavy machinery driver and mechanic.”

Johnny nodded in understanding but stayed quiet. Chet took a breath and continued. “Even though I was a grease monkey, I always tried to get to know the unit medics as much as I could. I tried to help where I could. I probably drove the majority of them insane, but they put up with me because I kept their buses running.”

Chet kept going after another breath. “My first tour was par for the course. However, my second tour was anything but.”

Chet swiped at his eyes before he continued. “The end of the second tour was abrupt and painful. One of my best friends in the country went out on patrol south of Hanoi….They were okay going out, but coming back….” Chet’s eyes shone with tears as he replayed his moment. “He…he was hit with sniper fire. The damn Vietcong got him in the neck….He…he was gone before he hit the ground, but they brought him back to us.”

Johnny took the cloth off of his neck and sat up. Then he climbed from the truck and hugged Chet before the lineman continued. Both men needing the embrace as they dealt with their pain. “Our CO found me under a bus and told me. I almost slugged him until he reached for me and handed over my friend’s dog tags. At that point, I damn near passed out in his arms. He sat me down and put a cool rag on my neck.” 

By now, both men were in tears, yet Chet continued. “I was the one who escorted my friend home. On the way, we flew through Tokyo, where he was supposed to meet his girl for a surprise trip. I…I was In my Class A’s when I knelt and told her.”   
Chet sniffled, “I’m not gonna lie, I damn near lost my lunch telling her. She cried in my arms most of the way to Europe. She wouldn’t let me go until we got back to the states, and even then, it took some meds for her to get the sleep she needed.”

Chet looked deep into Johnny’s now wet eyes. “What I’m saying, Johnny, is I know the pain you’re in. I’ve been there. I know the ache isn’t going away anytime soon. Hell, the nausea isn’t going to go anywhere either. However, you need to know it’s okay to let it out. Shit, man, if we can’t lean on each other as a crew, who else understands the hell we see.”

KMG 365

Johnny swallowed hard as he tried to stop the now steady stream of tears running down his face. “Che…Chet, I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be. He died the same way Drew did, doing what he loved.”

Johnny mule kicked the Rover in frustration. “My head knows that. Hell, my head knows even though I lied through my teeth to him, we were losing before we even got out of the squad.”

Johnny took a breath and pointed at his chest. “My heart, though. My heart hurts, it’s shattered, and damnit I…I don’t know what to do.”

Johnny started to tear up again and tried to stop them. To his surprise, Chet gripped his hand gently. He spoke softly, “It’s okay to let them go, Johnny. God knows we all understand.”

“I…I almost lost it in the waiting room when Pam reached for me. I so just wanted to stay with them, but I know Drew would smack me from here to the east coast for leaving early because of him.” Johnny choked out.

“What made you let go?”

“Roy’s footsteps and Dixie’s promise they won’t be alone.” Johnny turned his head and burped one more time into his fist.

“And you know Dixie will make sure she is taken care of. Believe me, if Pam calls and you guys are out, she will know nothing but love.”

“I…I know, but damnit….”

Chet rubbed Johnny’s neck. “I know, my friend.”

“How did you sleep that night?”

“Truthfully?’

“Yes.”

“Surrounded by friends with his dog tags in my hands.”

“You guys will never know what being here means tonight.”

“Oh, trust me, Roy made sure we knew that before I came out here. Do you have a picture?”

“Not with me, but I’m going to watch the flag and call Pam before bed tonight.”

“Good plan. I know I’ve watched Mike a few times, and it really does help settle your mind.”

Johnny reached in and grabbed the cloth. He wiped his eyes before he opened the water bottle. The empty soda can waited for the trash. “Thanks, Chet. I needed this.”

“Anytime, Johnny.”

Johnny handed Chet the cloth as he drank more water. “Wipe your eyes, and we’ll head in. I don’t want Cap to think I ran away.”

Chet smiled lightly. Even though it wasn’t his best, any humor attempt let the lineman know the paramedic would be okay. It wouldn’t be today, but some time he would be okay. Chet wiped his eyes as Johnny drained the water. The taller man threw his arm around Chet as the duo turned and headed back to the station. The Phantom had calmed his Pigeon at least for a little while. Both men knew it was time to get back to the county’s antics. The crew would help Johnny deal with the aftermath on his terms throughout the shift and the coming days.


End file.
